This invention relates to an automatic extractor apparatus for extracting a particular substance from a natural or synthetic solution in a laboratory or the like.
In extracting a certain kind of substance from a natural or synthetic solution, it has been a general and customary practice to mix the solution with an extraction solvent so as to dissolve the desired substance to be extracted in the extraction solvent, then subject the solution to a centrifuge so as to separate the extraction solvent from the solution, and then fractionate and dry the extraction solvent and thus obtain the desired extract.
Extraction steps such as described above have been carried out virtually manually in the past using various kinds of instruments and devices for the respective steps by, for example, mixing manually the extraction solvent, manually mounting a vessel storing the solution to a shaker, manually moving the vessel to the centrifuge after shaking, manually fractionating the extraction solvent after centrifugal separation, manually moving the extract to a dryer after fractionation, and so forth, including the linking steps between these manipulative steps.
Accordingly, an operator or operators must attend from the very beginning till the end of the sequence of operations and the extraction procedure requires a great deal of labor. Moreover, since most of the steps must be carried out manually, the work efficiency is extremely low.
To eliminate the problems with the prior art described above, the present invention is directed to an automatic extractor apparatus which can carry out automatically various operations and which comprises a turn table equipped with a high speed rotation driving mechanism and capable of stopping at desired work positions; a plurality of treating vessel supports for supporting treating vessels so as to enable the vessels to undergo tilting movement, the treating vessel supports being disposed in angularly spaced relation around the peripheral portion of the turn table with predetermined gaps between them; suction-discharge nozzles for effecting various treatments such as suction and discharge of a solution inside the treating vessels, charging of a reagent, suction of the solution after reaction, and so forth, that are disposed above the stop positions of the plurality of treating vessels of the turn table and are moved up and down by respective elevation means; a treating vessel shaker and a heating tank for storing the treating vessels, that are disposed above and below the stop position of the treating vessels and are moved up and down by elevation means; and compulsive exhaust means lowered toward the opening of the treating vessels stored in the heating tank by elevation means; wherein the rotation and indexing of the turn table, the elevation, suction and discharge of the various nozzles and the operation of the shaker, the heating tank and the compulsive exhaust means are carried out sequentially and automatically in accordance with a predetermined program.